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tel/fax:
718.362.4784
Please note our new postal address when sending
contributions to the legal fund:
121 5th Avenue, PMB #150
Brooklyn, New York 11217
About DDDB
Our coalition consists of 21 community organizations and
there are 51 community organizations formally
aligned in opposition to the Ratner plan.
DDDB is a volunteer-run organization. We have over 5,000
subscribers to our email newsletter, and 7,000 petition
signers. Over 800 volunteers have registered with DDDB
to form our various teams, task-forces and committees
and we have over 150 block captains. We have a 20 person
volunteer legal team of local lawyers supplementing our
retained attorneys.
We are funded entirely by individual donations from the community at large
and through various fundraising events we and supporters have organized.
We have the financial support of well over 3,500 individual
donors.
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Wishful Digging
A misleading story and headline from the New York press corps (see below).
Here's the real deal. Forest City Ratner certainly can start prep work on the
properties they own but
they do not own the properties necessary to build the arena or to demap streets
to build superblocks; this means that the project as we know it is not viable.
That is because 13 of the property owners and tenants are in federal court to
protect their rights against a use of eminent domain that they
allege violates the United States Constitution.
Additionally Forest City Ratner does not own the rail yards (known
as the Vanderbilt rail yards.) The signing of the contract selling the yards to
Forest City Ratner (FCR) from the MTA is contingent on outstanding lawsuits like
the eminent domain suit. Currently FCR only has a license agreement to start preliminary
work on the rail yards. Tomorrow (Tuesday) they plan to do this by beginning to
tear up the concrete on the eastern end of the yards which is a large MTA bus
depot.
So all of this prep work is premature and a scare tactic used against the plaintiffs
(residents), against the community fighting the project and to convince their
investors that work is moving forward. Don't be fooled: while prep work on their
project can start FCR's ability to move forward and finish the
project is under judicial review.
From Crain's Insider (link,
subscription required):
Suits won't stop Atlantic Yards
Pending lawsuits against Atlantic Yards will not stop Forest City Ratner from
proceeding with the Brooklyn project, a company source says. Architect Frank
Gehry is revising his design to reflect the compromise that won state approval
for the $4 billion mixed-use development. When he's finished, site work will
begin.
Two businesses and 26 residents in the project's footprint have asked a federal
court to declare that the eminent domain condemnations are unconstitutional.
Posted: 2.19.07
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